Calgary Cavalry FC, head coach and general manager, Tommy Wheeldon Jr, was all smiles after signing midfielders Nik Ledgerwood and Sergio Camargo on Thursday, November 29, 2018. Al Charest/PostmediaAl Charest/Postmedia

First, there was a dream.

Then came the league, the team, the logo and GM/head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Now, Calgary Cavalry FC has signed its first two players.

The soccer squad is finding its feet, so to speak, after inking its first four legs to its Spruce Meadows-owned stable — two belonging to veteran Nik Ledgerwood, and the other two owned by young talent Sergio Camargo.

‘There’ is the Canadian Premier League’s kick-start, which is slated for spring, with the Cavalry pitch at Spruce Meadows needed to be ready for Easter.

In the meantime, the Calgary club has set Valentine’s Day as the likely time when it unveils its full roster for the inaugural season, which is to feature the Cavalry and six other sides centred in Canadian cities.

So Thursday’s announcement represent the first two pieces of Wheeldon’s roster puzzle.

“Probably the best- and worst-keep secrets here,” Wheeldon Jr. said of Ledgerwood and Camargo.

“It’s important that we build a culture,” continued Wheeldon Jr. “These two are outstanding people. I think when you’re developing a team for the community for inspirations to the young players out there to being role models within the team, I think it’s important that these two are the first two signings, because they’ll be the cornerstones of it.”

Lethbridge native Ledgerwood actually began his professional career with the Calgary Storm, a Premier Development League team of the United Soccer League, alongside Wheeldon Jr. the player in 2002 before heading to Germany for a dozen seasons.

He then returned in 2016 to play with the North American Soccer League’s Edmonton Eddies before the loop went dormant last year.

“After the NASL kind of dissolved, I had some very promising talks about the future of the CPL and the Cavalry,” Ledgerwood said. “And that’s how this kind of came about.”

The 33-year-old midfielder/fullback has essentially been with the Cavalry since its inception, with the idea of playing soccer for a first-year team in Canada — one close to home — in a start-up Canadian league being as attractive as it gets.

The boss is happy to have him here, too.

“He covers a lot of distance,” Wheeldon Jr. said of Ledgerwood. “He’s a tenacious player. He’s played over 50 times on national teams in some crazy places. We think what he’ll do is lead from within the locker room, and we’re delighted that he’s going to be a cornerstone of our team.”

Perhaps the real coup, though, is securing the talented Camargo.

The product of Newmarket, Ont., is a midfielder who came up through the Toronto FC Academy and honed his skills in the NCAA ranks with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Syracuse Orange. He’s bounced around since, including landing a spot with the USL’s Toronto FC II.

“He’s a player we don’t have too many of in Canada,” Wheeldon Jr. said of Camargo, who also played with Canada in the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. “He’s exciting. He runs at players. He attacks — he works very hard, but he’s a goal-scorer and a goal-creator. He’s still young at 24, and in football terms, that’s young. He’s not hit his peak yet.”

Camargo, a native of Colombia, plans to do so here.

“I hope I can bring that excitement to the fans,” Camargo said. “When I got this opportunity to come to Calgary, I jumped on it because I feel Tommy is building something special. So I’m very excited. Me coming to Calgary and building this relationship with Tommy, I thought this was the right place to play.”

We’ll find out when the dream comes to fruition come spring.

“Sergio brings that energy — and when you watch him play, the hairs on your neck stand up,” Wheeldon Jr. added. “He’s going to be that type of player that the fans are going to pay that entertainment dollar to watch.

“While Nik comes in with his history, you’ve got Sergio who still has yet to write his history. I think he’ll be one of those players who will do very very well with us and he’ll be one to watch for national teams.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.